


chicken soup for the soul

by waterybrains



Series: The Place Where The Lost Things Go [2]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:47:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23424181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterybrains/pseuds/waterybrains
Summary: Charity and Vanessa make soup together.(A little follow up to the scenes that aired Monday, March 30th)
Relationships: Charity Dingle/Vanessa Woodfield
Series: The Place Where The Lost Things Go [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1676728
Comments: 9
Kudos: 118





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you're all staying safe and healthy out there. 
> 
> All mistakes are mine. And as always, thank you for taking the time to read :)

“Charity,” Vanessa whispers into the dark. 

Charity starts to fidget in her sleep, so Vanessa nudges her gently until she wakes. “Charity.” She repeats until Charity’s eyes spring open. 

“You alright? What is it?” There’s still traces of sleep in Charity’s voice, but she's frantic - she looks Vanessa up and down, her grip on Vanessa loosening ever so slightly, “Do you need your painkillers?”

“No, No I’m fine,” Vanessa places her cold hands against Charity’s warm cheeks, rubbing soothing motions with her thumb across the soft contours of Charity’s face when she feels her shudder from the cold. She wraps the duvet tighter around both of them and smiles up at Charity, watching her face soften under the warmth of Vanessa's gaze, ”I was just thinking about earlier, you know.”

Charity relaxes ever so slightly in her arms, and the tension slips away from her shoulders as she hums in response. She tightens her hold on Vanessa and wraps around her middle, bunching the material of Vanessa’s pajamas where her hands rest against Vanessa’s lower back as Charity pulls her closer, urging her to continue.

“You know, the lumpy soup.” Vanessa states matter of factly. 

There’s a pause while Charity gapes at her.

“The what?” Charity blinks her eyes rapidly, “Am I still asleep?”

“The soup you made. I can’t stop thinking about how it went so wrong even with that fancy thing you got.”

“I can’t tell if you’re taking the mick, babe.” Charity furrows her brows. 

“I just can’t stop thinking about it.” 

Charity groans, but her voice is soft when she speaks, “So, hang on a second, let me get this straight, you just woke me up from sleep to ask me about lumpy soup?” 

“Well, where'd you get the recipe?”

“Don’t worry, it wasn’t Mum’s-net,” Charity rolls her eyes, “I can’t remember, babe, it was the first thing I found on the internet when I typed in _how to make chicken soup with a soupmaker_.” 

“It was meant to be chicken soup?” Vanessa asks incredulously, “But it was grey,” She pauses, “And there were lumps.”

“Well, it told me to put it on _chunky mode_ , whatever that means. That’s probably why,” Charity trails off, stifling a yawn before she continues, “now will you-” 

“Right, but there’s a difference between chunky soup and _lumpy_ soup, Charity.” Vanessa ponders genuinely. In the last couple of months, her mind has been filled with nothing but worries - mostly for her family: her sister, her best friend. Her kids, and her _almost-wife._

She’s been worried for herself a lot too lately, which is a feeling that's entirely foreign to Vanessa. 

And there are lots of things to worry about still: chemotherapy and everything that comes with it for starters - and knowing her crazy little family - Vanessa doesn’t doubt that there will never be a dull moment for the rest of her life. 

But today, for the first time in months, she feels like she can breathe. 

And it’s all thanks to Charity. 

(Finally being home and sleeping in her own bed after nearly two weeks at the hospital helps, but it’s still mostly Charity. It’s always Charity.)

She still has that effect on Vanessa, even after all these years - and Vanessa can’t deny that she had had her doubts in the beginning, how her cancer would affect Charity and their little family. How it would affect their relationship. She had feared that it would taint this beautiful and intricate thing they’ve built over the years. 

It's been tense for a while now, she can tell when Charity's walking on eggshells around her and she knows she doesn't have as much control over her emotions as she normally does, but it all feels different now.

After the little talk they had: when they held on tightly to each other and promised to be honest and open and to let each other back in, she feels closer to Charity than ever. And things are still difficult, and they probably will be for a while.

But it feels much less scary now. Knowing she has Charity firmly by her side.

And Charity has been nothing short of incredible in every way. She always seems to know exactly what Vanessa needs - and Vanessa can’t believe she ever doubted her in the first place. Because there’s nothing and no one she loves more than Charity Dingle and her innate ability to make Vanessa feel every emotion under the sun in a single breath.

So tonight, she thinks about lumpy soup. 

Because for a moment, everything else feels minor in comparison. 

Charity sighs, “Listen, babe, it’s late, alright, and the doctors say you need your rest. So can we please forget about the soup, yeah? We can talk about it again tomorrow if you want, but-”

“You could make it again, tomorrow.” Vanessa suggests, “You’re not working, right?”

“What?” Charity asks for the thousandth time tonight.

“For me? Please? I want to see how you do it. C’mon, the kids will be at school, and I have nothing to do, and well, you’re meant to be entertaining me, so.”

“I was thinking more box set and chocolates, yeah?” She wiggles her eyebrows.

“But that sounds so boring,” Vanessa whines, adding a pout for good measure. She widens her eyes and flashes Charity the best puppy-dog-eye look she can muster. “Please? For me?” She bites her lip seductively and watches as Charity’s resolve crumbles in front of her.

She smirks at Charity then, who’s already halfway through another eye-roll. 

“If I say yes will you stop nattering on about soup and go to sleep?”

“Mmhm.” Vanessa nods eagerly, shifting herself closer until her head is tucked under Charity’s chin. She nuzzles her head against Charity’s chest, letting the constant rise and fall of Charity’s breathing steady her. A moment passes before one of Vanessa’s hands come up to run fingers down Charity’s arms, goosebumps raising in its trail as she guides them to wrap tighter around her own waist. 

“Then fine. Whatever,” Charity grumbles, the sound vibrating low in her chest. “I’ll make soup again tomorrow.”

“Love you,” She mutters, placing a gentle kiss on Charity’s sternum. 

“Love you too.” 

**

“Alright,” Tracy shouts from the bottom of the stairs, “Two minutes, boys,” She turns to Charity next, eyeing her mischievously, “Oi, you. You look half asleep. Sarah said you and V called it in early last night, so why do you look knackered?”

“Thank you so much for the helpful comments, Trace,” Charity snarks, “That’s just what old age does to you. And I was up all night.”

“You were-” Tracy pauses, her eyes widen when she realizes, “Ugh, Charity!” She exclaims, smacking Charity’s arm gently, “That’s my sister, gross! Are you even supposed to be doing _that_ yet?”

“No, not that,” Charity smacks her lips, rubbing her eyes, “Your sister kept yammering on all night, asking me about how I was making soup and stuff,” There’s a loud thud when she places her elbows on the dining table so she can rest her head in her hands, “Then I couldn’t stop thinking about how I got it so wrong, and she was snoring away and I couldn’t go back to sleep.”

“Oh, V mentioned that. The lumpy soup.” Tracy snickers as Charity shoots daggers at her through sleepy eyes.

“Of course she did. Right, go on then, take the piss.”

“Oh come on, you tried, that’s what counts,” Tracy’s voice is kind, “Maybe after your second attempt. Or your third.” She laughs loudly at the snarl Charity lets out.

The two young boys emerge at the top of the stairs when Tracy calls for them again, and they slowly toddle down, “Maybe you should stick to stuff you already know how to make, yeah? Your spag bol’s pretty decent, actually.” 

Charity gets up off the dining chair, grunting as she stands. She starts walking towards the front door, stopping by the coat hanger to grab the boys’ jacket, “Ness wants me to make it again today.”

“She does?”

“Mmhm,” She comes back with a matching pair of yellow and red windbreakers and passes one to Tracy. When the boys arrive downstairs, Charity tilts her head to motion for Johnny to come to her, bundling him into his jacket as Tracy does the same for Moses. 

“Are you gonna do it then?” 

“Can’t say no to your sister, can I?” Charity says, crossing the room towards the kitchen to grab the two backpacks laid on the counter, both stuffed to the brim with packed lunches that Tracy spent all morning fussing over. 

“Well well, Charity Dingle, a proper little wif-” Tracy grunts when Charity stuffs one of the backpacks against her stomach, but it doesn’t silence her for long. “You’re so whipped.”

“And you are _so_ annoying,” Charity leans down to lift the weight of the bag off Johnny’s back a little when he gets stuck trying to put his other arm through the hole of the strap. She lets him try on his own for a while, watches as a proud smile blooms on his face when he figures out how to put the backpack on.

“It’s dead romantic,” Tracy grins at her, letting out a cackle before she turns her attention back to the boys who are standing side by side, urging them forward towards Charity, “Alright boys, say bye to your Mummy Charity.” 

Charity lowers herself as both boys practically shout their goodbyes in her ear as they come around either side of her, giving her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. They grab each other’s hands after and bolt towards the door, Tracy hot on their trail. 

“I’m off. Text if you or V need anything, kay? As long as it’s not lumpy soup.”

“Goodbye, Tracy.” Charity scowls.

“And get a brew down you, or something.” Tracy shouts over her shoulders, “You’re a right grump this morning.” 

The front door slams before Charity can come up with a biting response. 

**

“You’re supposed to peel the carrots before you chop them, Charity.” 

Vanessa’s settled warmly on the sofa, sitting in the corner closest to the kitchen. She's tucked in under a duvet Charity insisted on dragging down upstairs - something about keeping Vanessa warm, and there are pillows strewn all around her. She has one arm resting on the backrest of the sofa, her body turned so she’s facing Charity, who’s busying herself in the kitchen, taking the ingredients out of the fridge and moving them onto the kitchen counter. 

“Well, how was I supposed to know that?” She lifts the carrot she’s holding in her hand and waves it about as she kicks the fridge door shut. She uses her other hand to start opening drawers, searching through them for the peeler.

"Second one to the left," Vanessa suggests, and Charity does a little celebratory dance for Vanessa’s benefit when she finds the object, then turns towards the sink to give the carrot a quick rinse before she starts to peel, her lips curled as she concentrates.

“It didn’t say in the recipe,” She complains under her breath, “If it’s part of the instructions it should say so on the thing.”

Vanessa’s laugh is loud and boisterous. It rings loudly over the music that’s playing softly in the background. “You’re supposed to know these things.”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh at me.” Charity mutters. She finishes peeling quickly enough, and she starts dicing the carrots next, before scooping them up and chucking them into the soup maker once she’s done. 

She repeats the same with the rest of the vegetables, mindlessly singing along to the music as she dices the onions and chops the thyme leaves. Every once in a while she’ll glance at Vanessa to check for approval, and every time their eyes meet, Vanessa is looking up at her dreamily, eyes glistening and lips turned up into a dopey smile. Charity has to fight to ignore the heat that rushes across her chest and up to her face as a result. 

“Right babe, I went for chunky soup mode yesterday,” She says once she’s done prepping the ingredients, “but I’m wondering if I should go for a different one so it’s not so lumpy - smooth soup, maybe?”

“The recipe says we should go for chunky _,_ ” Vanessa offers helpfully, “So maybe second time’s the charm?” 

"If you say so," Charity pulls a face before pressing one of the buttons in front of her. The soup maker starts whirring softly, “Right, what’s next?” She claps her hands together, turning to Vanessa, a child-like grin on her face. 

Vanessa looks down at her phone, thumbs scrolling until she gets to the next part of the recipe. “Shred the cooked chicken.” 

There’s a question on Charity’s face when she looks at Vanessa. 

“Two forks, pull the meat apart. Make sure you’re doing it properly,” Vanessa instructs, shaking her head, “You can use your hands too if you want.”

“Sounds easier, I’ll do that,” Charity starts to rip apart the meat with her fingers, “Am I doing this right?” 

Vanessa hums her approval. 

“I didn’t do this yesterday, you know. Might explain the big lumps. Don’t know why it was so _white_ though.” She sets the meat aside when she’s done, and throws all the used utensils haphazardly into the sink. She washes her hands thoroughly after, making sure to get all the grooves between her fingers. When she's sure they're clean, she dries them and side-steps around the counters. She plops down on the armrest, pulling her knees in and tucking her feet under Vanessa’s knees where she’s now sitting cross-legged on the sofa. 

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Vanessa smiles up at her through her lashes.

It widens into a grin when Charity makes a funny face in response and scoffs, “Yeah well, let’s wait to see how it turns out first.” She pulls at a loose thread on the duvet.

“Thank you.”

She smiles shyly at Vanessa, “Bit premature, babe. Like I said, soup’s not even done yet.” She pushes gently at Vanessa’s arm until she shifts over, creating just enough space for Charity to slide off the armrest and settle comfortably beside Vanessa. 

“No, no, not just that,” Vanessa leans into the warmth of Charity’s body and drops her head until it rests against Charity’s shoulder. She grabs Charity’s hand and intertwines their fingers, drops their joined hands on her knee, arms resting cross Charity’s thigh. She inhales sharply before she continues, “What you said yesterday, about not running when things get hard-”

“Hey,” There’s a recognizable lilt to Charity’s voice as she rushes to reassure Vanessa, “I’m not going anywhere. You’re kind of stuck with me, babe." She teases, "Forever.”

“I know,” Vanessa mutters as tears rush to her eyes. “That’s why I’m thanking you.”

“Don’t be daft,” Charity tucks a finger under Vanessa’s chin, lifting Vanessa’s head until their foreheads rest against each other's, “You don’t need to thank me.” She says earnestly.

“But I do-”

“You don’t.”

“I do,” Vanessa clears her throat, she tightens her grip on their joined hands for emphasis, “You’ve been absolutely brilliant you know, with this whole thing. With the kids, with the house, with _me_ , and I-" She swallows, "I couldn’t imagine doing this without you.” 

“Well,” Charity's voice is thick, her eyes watering, “Good job you don’t ever have to, yeah?” She starts thumbing the ring on Vanessa’s finger. 

“I love you, you know." She blurts out. Her voice shakes from the butterflies that tickle her stomach, and she takes a quavering to steady herself. "I love you," she repeats, "so _so_ much.” 

Charity ducks her head in response, and Vanessa’s free hand comes up to tuck the hair that falls around Charity's face behind her ear. It's Vanessa's turn to tuck a finger under Charity's chin, lifting her head until their eyes meet again. Both brimming with unshed tears.

“What’s gotten into you?” Charity answers breathlessly, smiling playfully at Vanessa.

“Oi,” Vanessa laughs, her voice melodic and high pitched, “I’m trying to express a sentiment here.”

“Soppy cow,” Charity chuckles, flinching when she feels Vanessa elbow her side, “Guess I love you too, you know, in case you were wondering." Her face is smug, and there's a kindness that settles around her eyes, "We’ll get through this together, yeah?” 

Charity’s still grinning when Vanessa pulls her down for a kiss. Their lips brush softly, delicately, and Charity’s hands curls around Vanessa’s jaw as their breaths mingle. 

They part when the soup maker beeps loudly, and Vanessa clings to Charity like a limpet - all flirty and reluctant to let go when Charity tries to extract herself from Vanessa’s grip to check on the soup. 

**

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a tiny little continuation. More fluff just for the sake of fluff.

“So?” Charity asks nervously, walking over with a bowl filled to the brim. She crosses the room slowly, careful not to spill the liquid over the sides as she leans down to place the steaming bowl on the coffee table in front of Vanessa. “Careful, it’s hot.”

She stays kneeling as Vanessa pushes herself up and shifts towards the edge of the sofa, swinging her legs back onto the floor before she leans down lower, smiling at Charity. 

She dips her spoon and stirs, lifting the spoon and blowing gently, watching the steam rise as her mouth waters at the comforting scent. She risks a glance at Charity while she waits for the soup to cool: she’s still kneeled down on the floor beside Vanessa, wringing her hands together nervously while she waits for Vanessa to taste her concoction. 

Vanessa can’t help but laugh, reveling in how utterly and completely _domestic_ Charity’s being - she’s been trying extra hard recently, and Vanessa appreciates the way it comes in small gestures. On her bad days, it’s like a stark reminder that things are no longer the same, but on days like these, it reminds her how lucky she is, to have found a love like this. 

It’s just soup, there’s nothing special about it - but it is special. 

Because it’s Charity. 

And there’s something amusing about how genuinely on edge Charity looks: the way she’s flashing her big eyes at Vanessa, desperate to see if something as simple as a warm bowl of freshly-made-soup will help.

And it will, Vanessa knows it will. 

But she can’t help it, so she stifles the smile on her face when she finally gives it a taste, fights the grin from appearing on at how impressed she is at the taste.

_It tastes delicious._

She hums as the warmth of it spread down her chest through her body, then she turns to look at Charity, “It’s a bit bland babe, and well,” She scrunches her face, “the veg’s a bit undercooked, and there’s something funny about how it tastes,” She ponders, smacking her lips together for effect, “There’s something off about it, I’m not really sure what it is.”

Charity frowns-her whole face falling with it, and Vanessa has to bite her lip to stop the laugh that threatens to bubble out of her. She finds herself on the receiving end of one of Charity’s glares when she finally realizes Vanessa’s only joking, and Charity playfully pushes her by the knee, smirking as Vanessa nearly topples over onto the sofa. It takes Vanessa a second to recover, her breathing still uneven from laughing too hard, “You should’ve seen your face.”

“Yeah, haha, really funny, babe” Charity rolls her eyes. 

“I’m just winding you up,” Vanessa giggles, pulling Charity in by the shoulder and dropping a chaste kiss on her forehead, “It tastes great, babe.” 

“Really?” 

“Mmhm,” Vanessa dips her spoon back into the bowl in front of her with her free hand and lifts, “Here, try it yourself,” She puffs her cheek up to blow at the still-hot liquid again, and when she’s sure it won’t burn the tongue, she turns towards Charity, her other hand coming up under the spoon to make sure she doesn’t drip on the carpet as she moves. 

Charity meets her halfway - uses her hand to cover Vanessa’s as they guide the spoon into Charity’s mouth together. “Oh, that’s not bad at all, actually,” Charity smiles, “It’s definitely edible, which is significantly better than yesterday.”

“And It’s not white, or lumpy, and it tastes perfect.” Vanessa grins back. She grabs one of Charity’s hands and pulls, shifting to the side when Charity gets off the floor instead and slides in beside her. 

Charity doesn’t let go - she lifts their intertwined fingers to rest on her lap, and squeezes.

“Might work, this. You bossing me around the kitchen, showing me how cooking’s done.”

“Charity Dingle. Professional Soup Maker.” Vanessa smirks. 

“Add that to the list yeah? What did I say - Nurse, Maid, Punching bag,” She trails off, “Personal Chef?”

“Bit of a stretch,” Vanessa can’t resist the urge to tease again, “You only know how to make one kind of soup.”

“Well, we’ve got plenty of time, babe” Charity smiles brightly at her, and Vanessa finds comfort in her eyes, “You can teach me whatever you want, and I’ll do my best to not turn it into a bowl of lump.”

Vanessa leans back against the sofa and Charity follows like a magnet, hands still clasped together. “Not on my watch,” She drops her head to rest on Charity’s shoulders, stroking Charity’s thumb with her own.

“Look at us, proper little team.”

“As long as I get to be the boss.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, babe,” Charity murmurs, placing a soft kiss on Vanessa’s nose, “I wouldn’t have you any other way.” 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @chellehardwicks on tumblr & twitter

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me @chellehardwicks on tumblr & twitter


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